Process of smelting ores.



No. 820,134. PATBNTED MAY a, was

E. RIVBRULL. PROCESS of SMELTING GRES. PPLATIN FILED 9CT.l2. 25505.

Ras/w55 .thecounty ess for Smelting UMTED STATES lPA'rENtr y OFFICE.

' ELFEGO RIVEROLL, OF LDS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. PROCESS oF smEL-rmo ones; i

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orniglrf ve iss specification. ,Anmportent Whichryill econtinuoes, or substsntielly so.

Another object of the invention' .is'rtoprovide e process for smelting ores bythe useof Huid f ucLsuch hydroearb ons orretrolenm; e opted vfor V.The process ns psrtieularl "thesmelisg teneis 'smeitng ,of copper s oresv en is hereln vdescribed xn that conneotion,.s1though itis sp1 phablc to, some extentvinconnection'with 1 -f-Anfimpo nefegture, of the @recess is ein: applied theme by'the fuel located externally' of the with they ome the orthehegt'lis also external means.

ore is hosted :by -radiation and conduction romebove and diiiculty is encountered 1n lbrisgiirgthe han ,ip

lowing eleetive eontect'with the ore.- 0n the other hand etternpts to ,apexternellyf'genersted heat 1n oblastrnecei process have' failed on eoco'unt of the clo'ingro the last by lielted material., Y epi-osent, Ventron provides for ng,fthe1heet fin effective contact witlre parte the and for maintaining the body of orecontinuslly inconditionjto VallowV free eiof-fthe heating agent ti ierctlrrouglgY cheating air, and'by roperly- 'r r- Vtioninglthe amount of fuel eiid sir may mede of either an oxidizing, 11er or nentral nature, according to the effect it f' to produce oidfhnere.l een? sf@ A:steps: suppynag and co s orein s. el;erniiertinV such manner tiret w 1 newv gis continually or friV time to time.' a. at one Vend of the bodynf ore the other end of the body of one remains at esubstsntielly fixed position end theehember is Vblocked or choked by the, bellyl of Vore end applyingl thezexneltingfcgenft, consisting ,of the er ,pressure in said thst seid liot'gnses chamber in suchV manner Losng'eles; irs, i

l.tion isv to -proyide `a. 'process for orefsmelting the w s .nd smeltingegcnt in this consistsV tlrehot gases-resulting from Athe4 *combo on ofh drocerhon or oil-vnritlresoit able qxrgntity o seres 1 o, f the passage outof the chamber, thereby continually 'melting Vdown the wore. as 1t reaches the position aforesaid and allowing it to Bow eway from the unrnelted body of ore d keeping the saidfunmeltod ore continuall opetn for the pa. of the hot gases.

e invention further comprises placing the ore on an inclined support, the inclination being such as to cause the ore to feed down long said support by gravity, arresttlre'motion 'of the ore at c certain position on seid support and applying et auch point of arrest hot gases under pressure' end eonning the' course of such hotgsses to cause them to be forced through an between the body of ore to melt the ore.

The eeoompsnyi drawings illustrate en e or cerrymg out the inspparetus suitab "ventiom Yf A, Y

iigureV 1 is s longitudinal Yertical section of thefurnscc. Fig. 2 is e vertical section on `the line xix in 1.- Fig. 3 is a. section en tirelinowrwinFigl..

vtefer'riig tothe drawings, 1 designates en ore chute or ehembcr and 2 e well or rece ts- Zelel et'the orierv end ci said chute or chem er, the seid chute or. chamber extendin upwar'dly at an inclination from seid we and communicating at or neer its upper end with s stack or flue 3. y

'desi stes a. combustion-chamber at the side of t e Well 2 opposite the ehute 1.

Means are rovl ed for supplying ore into the upper en of the chntel seid means consisting, for exsmle," *of n.V charging hole or vp'sssege 5, form by an extension of the 1: beyond the stack 3, the Yore boing dum ed or charged into said essege from e. suite le l source of supply r exam le, e. platform .-the said passage being o su cient sise to enable theme-chute 1 to be completely cllrged -or filled stits upper end with .the ore end the ore vsliding down from the u er end by.V gravity toward the lower art so. ohlitejrens'ere'provided for obstructing or Y las eiow'fnw'erd passage of the ore. Forthis pln'pose the lower end of the fiom' of fthe chute is extended at nn inclination to the ulplpe part or mein body of the ohute,tlre in c ation of this part of the chute being such that the ore wil gravity andwil'therefoe accumulate or 'bechecltodjin; 'ilowjxnvfardrrno'emer:en

' 7 esigates a urxier or sup bustible uid to the cornbuetiozliclvi'il not pese forrerdrtllereon by At or near the lower end o the geom-- mber it, .Y

io ward extenslon of nozzle 10, saidextension the said burner comprising a burner-head 7, connected to an oil -supply pipe S and a steam-supply pipe J in such manner as to inject or atonlize thel fluid fuel into the combustion-chamber. Air-supply means 1s also provided, consisting of a nozzle or inlet-pipe lil, surrounding the burner 7 and communieating with an air-supply pipe 11, the said pipe entering a drum 12, surrounding a rearbeing perforated at 10' to enable passage of air into the nozzle, thereby producing'an annular jet or blast of air surrounding 4the jet of atonuzed fuel. The fuel 'and 'air nozzles are preferably positioned so as to direct the 'et of Haine or hot gases therefrom on the ower end ofthe body of orc. The air-supply A pipe 11 is connected to any suitable source of air-supply under Tpressure-for example, a blower orfan. A (hot shown.)' An auxiliary air-supply inlet is provided at 1S in the sides of the ore-chute 1 at or below the smelting The heat of the smelting operation kbeing intense,it is necessary to line the combustionwell and air-chambers with a refractory lining, (indicated -at 13,)= and in order to )resent suiiicient mechanical support to said lining and prevent burning out thereof a waterjacket 14 is provided around these chambers, water sup ly and outlet pipes l5 16 being vprovided t erefor. r f V 4The ore-chute and combustion-chamber are supported in a frame consistinfr of co1- umns or piers 19, so arranged as 'to lbave the bottom of the chamber-walls exposed for coolingby the air around the same. Well 2 may be removable, jacks 20.

21 designatesV the tap-hole or spoilt in the well, and 22 the slag-hole: The ore-chute l may. be provided with poke-holes, (indicated at 23.) The oil-burner 7 and the air-pipe 11 are provided with valves gr regulating means 25 26 to enable regulationof the fuel and lair supplly.

.l e process 1s carried out as follows: Orc of any suitable characterjor example, copper ore, either in the forrn of carbonatos, sulds, or oxids, or mixture thereof, or compound orc of any kind, such as chalcopyriteis delivered on the platform 6 and is charged continuously or from time to time into. the upper end of the ore-chute l tlniiugh the feed-passa e 5. The ore rolls and slides /dwn the iute until it reaches the floor por tion of less inclination, at which point it will accumulate and pile up in a manner some-.

what as shown in the drawings, and this charging or filling operation is continued until the body or ile of ore completely fills or chokes the con uit or chute 1 and extends substantially to the u per end thereof. The front or lower end of tlils bodyof ore will then have an inclination to the horizontal depend- ,rapid will be the being supported on ing somewhat on the character of the ore, ex-

tending at its` lower portion or foot toward The burner having been turned on and ignited and the air-blast also having been turned on and the combustion-chamber, well, and lower part of the chute being closed against exit of air, the operation will roceed as follows: The jet or blast of combustible and air burns in the combustion-chamber, and passing over the well enters the ore-chute and is directed onthe body of ore' therein. The ore is assumed to be of such a size that it will permit the hot vases resulting from the combustion in tthe blast or jet to pass therethrough; but, owing to the obstruction caused 'by the choking or blocking of the passage b Tthe ore mass, it is necessary toemploy a su stantial pressure tocause the hot gases to force their way throughthe ore to the stack. The chargingpassage 5 may, if desired, be closed except when charging; butfor rac-tical purposes the obstruction caused by t 1e ore therein is sulli cient to defiect th'e waste gases up the chimney or stack. It is found in practice that the ore a's it ordinarily comes from the mine can be used in this manner and is sufficiently 'open to permit the passage of the hot gases;

, but in some cases it will be desirable to crush the ore toa more or lessuniformreduccd size, it being understood that the smaller the size of the lumps or articles of ore the more lieating thereof as lonY as the passage for the hot gases is not un ul;T constricted. The intense heat of the combined jet or blast of fuel and air directed onto the ore eventually melts the ore at the lower end of the pile, and as the ore melts it flows away down the lower inclined floor, the inclination of which is sul licicnt to permit of this, although not suflicient to allow gravitative movement of the unmelted ore. The ore in the chute will then move down and take the place of the ore that is melted, and if orc is continually supplied at the upper end this o )eration will continue. The melted ore runs om the inclined table into the well 2, where it accumulates and is kept in melted condition by radiation and reflection from the blast and overlying walls of the chamber. f

The operation has been described as a simple melting operation; but it will be understood that, according to the character of ore,

it can be Iliade a roasting or oxidizing or a reducingor smelting operation, the ell ect being controlled, according to the character of ore and product, by varying the proportionate amounts of fuel and air admitted at the burner and blast. Thus in case of the chal-- copyrite ore suflicient oxygen will be furnished, in addition to that required for conih'ustin of the fuel, to roast or oxidize part of e mette more or less rich in copper which will oxidation or roasting, the roasted or more or place in the Well where the-fused ore is hsptl applied to lovwgrsde ores, the following re-' vsuits were obtained 1n practice, the char e conslstmgof iron ore and silicious ore of t e `per in reduced form or metallic stets, an elo.y v :cess of ilu'id combustible may be supplied to and furnace-wells.

ssonse the sulfur, whereupon during fusion the usual y reaction will take place between the oxidized portion and the unoxidjzedportmn to form sepsrutefrom the sl containing the iron, silice, &o. 1f it is desired to obtain the copelfect the reduction, und in some euses it may be fnecessary to provide for initial oxidation followed by reduction, this being' providedA for by the auxiliary blast at 18, which supplies att the fusion`zone'suicient air to cause less oxidized material being then melted esv it passes through the fusion zone and the melted product then passing down toward the burner and being subjected to a reducing-llame therefrom. It is found in p1 etico that in workin with co per'ores in this'mannel' it is possib e to prodiice the copper either in the form of a mette or in the form of me, tallicl copper the recess effecting not only thefusion of the *A re, but the chemical and actual separation ofthe metallic constituent from the gangue or slag the actual seperation of the metallic part from the slag taking exposed to the heat from the burner, blast,

As illustrating theefiiciency of the process following analysesz Iron ore or flux, Fe,

51.98; SiO,-;l-l5.62; S, 4.95; Cu, iper cent;

Au, 4.13. Silicious ore, Fe, 8.33;.Si0V 81u13; Cu, 1.45; Au, 7.44. The initial charge was seventy pounds of ironto forty pounds of silicious 'ore and fifty pounds of ligne, followed by a working charge of one hundred pounds of iron ore, ftypounds of silicious ore, fifty pounds of lime, and fifty pounds of slag. There wesV formed et the bottom of" the well a matte containingfifty-one per cent.

copper, besides a (misiderable portion (about ton per sont.) oi bleek coppe-.rund metallic copper. The slag analyzed: silicsll; iron,

26.4; lime,

1. The process for treating ores which con siste in feeding end supporting the ore on an inclined surface, allowing the ore to move downward vby gravity on seid surface to a.v defini te position thereon, arresting the down- Ward movement ofthe ere in suchdenite position, passing e current of hot as or gases throughsaid ore to heet end me t the seme and allowing the fused ore to drain away from the unfused ore to maintain the letter in condi tion for, passage of the current of gases there hrough and withdrawing the hot ases from the body of ore before they reas the popt et which the ore is fed to the inclined su aco. l

lower end of the chute, thereby forein seid sir to the 2. The process for'V treating ore which con?" siste in feeding and supporting the ore on an inclined surface, allowing the ore` to move downward on seid surface by gravity, arrestV f i thedownwerd movement of the ore'at'a i de 'te position, applying a blast yof hot gases against the lower end of the body of* ,seid hot gases to conse them-to Vf ore confinin through the body of oreywi'tlr`4 f:

het gases from the bodyof'ore 75 is fed to the inclined surface vand allowing l K ,the fused ore at the lower end of the body of ore to drain from the unfused ore.

3. The recess for treating ores which consists inc erging the ore into an inclined chamber or chute snd allowing the ore to feed downwardly into the chute by gravity, applying hot gases under pressure et the gases through the body of ore in the c nte,

'withdrawing the hot gases before the f reach the point at which the ore is charge there into and a ptlying s supplementary blast of Eo y of ore etween the point of application of the hot gases and the point of withdrawal of such gases.

4. The process of treating ores which con siste in charging the ore into an inclined chute in such manner es to block or choke Vthe chute eilowin the ore to moredownwardly into the chute v gravity, applying a current of hot gases under pressure to the lower end Sof said body of ore in the el'rute, eoni'ming seid current to cause it to force its' wey through the body of ore and withdrawing the het. gases from the chute before thei,T reach the point at which the ore is charged thereinto. i

4definite position, applying s, bla-st of hot gases against the lower end of the bod of ore, confining said hot sesto conse t lern to poss upwardly through the bod); of ore; withdrewm the hot gases from the bodyof ore before t e f reach the point at which the ore isffed to t e inclined surfece,' and a pl ing asupplementery blast of air to tliorodyy of ore between the point of 'application ofthe hot gases end the point of mthdrewel of the hot gases andsllowing the fused ore et the lower e'nd of thebodjr oforo to drain from the unused ore, and maintaining the fused re in .heated condition to enable the metel-V iiliie downward movement of theore et e.

te position, applying e buninghlest ofi-15o oil and nir against the lower end of the body fused ore at the lower end of the body of ore of ore, confining the hot gases from said blast to drain from. the unfused ore. to cause them to 'mss upwardly through the .In-testimony whereof I have hereunto set hotly of ore, witlulrnlwing` the hot gases lfrom my hand, at Los Angeles, California., this 30th 5 the body 1)1 ore begocrle tliloy leaieh he [oint day of September, 1905.

at which t le ore is e to t no ine inea sur nee, and ep )lying a supplementary blast of air to ELFEGO RIVLROLL' the bo(ly of ore between the point of a plica- In presence ofl tion of the hot ases and the point oi' with- ARTHUR P. KNIGHT,

1o dmwal of the lot gases and allowing the VERxfrA A. TALBERT. 

